"Woohoo!"

I know that at least 4 people still check to see if I'm alive.

How do I know? Well this morning when I got up my wife said to me, "I don't want to stress you, but did you post a blog last night?"

And since the day was busy I never had a chance unitl late this afternoon by which time at least 3 other people noticed.  Fortunately the blog site has a feature whereby you can actually back date your post, so if I was a liar I could simply have blamed the internet.

But alas, I can only seem to lie about important things and so you have the truth of it.  I forgot to post!

Not that I'm pretending that you're misssing something significant, but if nothing else you do get a regular quote from some brighter person.

It seems like I am very tired lately and come evening time I run out of gas.  I suspect a combination of cabin fever, consistent tough training and perhaps even a little stress.  My workplace has undergone a major upheaval which is leaving me a little unsettled, and in 3 weeks I have to start those stupid daily treatments in Hamilton, accompanied with a double tooth extraction!

But I know that winter will be over soon, the treatments are only for 6 weeks, I don't need all these teeth, and that the work stuff will resolve itself one way or another.  Then onward we go!

I had kind of a weird swim today.  Since I did my weights late last night my arms were still sore so I took it kind of easy.  I did decide to put a bit of effort into the last 500 metres and much to my surprise I was a good bit faster than previously.  Hopefully that's a positive indicator of improved technique.

Sure enough my bike ride was not very good but I still did the best I could.  Tuesday is my strength ride and it is important that I get it in. 

Less than 8 weeks to Around the Bay, and I will  use that an excuse to make the week previous an easy one. That way I will have a chance to keep up with Roo, and test my fitness a little bit at the same time

And that's about it. Live long and prosper!

(swim 1500 metres, computrainer 60 mins)

"Worrying doesn't empty tomorrow of it's troubles,  it empties today of it's strength"---Anon

Love

Peter

"Just Checking"

To see if you're paying attention.

(easy run, weights)

"Give whatever you are doing and whoever you are with the gift of your attention."---Jim Rohn

Love
Peter

"Happy Sunday!"

Hope you had a great day!  I know I did despite a last minute request to pick up the kids in Cambridge.  Even that was ok, as I try to live the philosophy that the things that happen to me are not an interruption to my life, but rather they are my life itself.

"Today, the degradation of the inner life is symbolized by the fact that the only place sacred from interruption is the private toilet."---Lewis Mumford

(swim 1500 metres, ride 60 mins)

Love
Peter

"But Valour is Important Too"

I woke up this morning to a nasty wind but thankfully no snow.  That all changed before I got out the door and I knew quickly that conditions were not gonna be great.  The snow started to come down and by 8 am it was already starting to cover the ground.  I made a decision to stick close to home in case it got really crappy and sure enough when I turned into the wind at about 5 kms I pretty well decided to pack it in after one block, and hope for better tomorrow.  By 6 kms I was carrying my glasses because they were compleyly plastered.  Back  at the mailbox I had a decision to make.  I put my glasses in the mailbox, and mentally signed up for the whole 30 kms.

In the end it worked out okay.  You will recall that I intended going a little slower and in actual fact the snow was probably just what I needed to keep me patient.  It was so crappy into the wind that without my glasses I couldn't lift my head to watch where I was going because it stung my eyes so bad.  Well actually I could lift my head if I closed my eyes but that really wasn't that effective either!!

Anyway, with the slower pace I felt quite good and never really struggled.  Game on!

(30 km run, 2:45:50)
Valor is a gift. Those having it never know for sure whether they have it till the test comes. And those having it in one test never know for sure if they will have it when the next test comes."---Napoleon

Love
Peter

"I think It's Working"

Since Christmas I have gotten very religious.  Whoops!  I mean very religious about my eating habits.  I constantly watch my overall intake of calories, try to get most of my protein from chicken, fish or beans, keep my fat intake reasonable, consume very little alcohol, and even stopped eating ice cream bars before bed!

And finally I think it's working.  I am just approximating but I truly believe that since the start of the year I have actually lost 4 or 5 ounces of body fat!!  Yup!  At least 1/4 of a pound!  I think?

Despite the frustration I am not prepared to give up.  Somehow I still believe that if I maintain my discipline it will eventually come off.  Despite the neglible change in the bathroom scale I do feel thinner, and that's what's supposed to matter anyway eh?

I'm pretty sure I'll lose a little weight tomorrow as I plan on a 30 km run.  I need some decent weather though and right now it doesn't look great.  The weatherman suggests snow, and fairly strong winds.  Let's hope not!

Friday is usually my longer swim day bit I couldn't pit it together today.  I was fairly agressive with my weights last night and my arms were simply tired.  I did get the 2 kms in but with little breaks every 500 metres.  It's all good!

(swim 2000 metres....slow)

"All that is necessary to break the spell of inertia and frustration is to - act as if it were impossible to fail."---Dorothea Brande

Love
Peter

"Confession"

Bless me father for I have sinned.  My last confession was forty some years ago.  Since then I have committed many sins.  I have lied 3 or 4 times, and taken the lords name in vain maybe 6 times.  I certainly have coveted my neighbours BMW and twice I missed church on Sunday.  But the biggest sin I have committed father was to buy a new saddle for my bike!!!

In order to be allowed to buy the saddle in the first place my wife made me commit to admitting it to you publicly so here you have it.  First let me show you a pic of my previous saddle, the one which you may remember solved all of my numb nuts problems. 

You will recall that it was the split nature of the saddle that allowed my private parts the freedom necessary to allow good blood flow and prevent squashed nerves.  The limitation of the saddle is the overall width.  I have a fairly narrow pelvis which results in pressure on my sit bones, as well as rubbing on my inner thighs.  You can see then what attracted me about this blue beauty. 

It also has the open middle and yet it is not as wide.  That should be the both of best worlds.  But alas not quite.  The opening is not as wide as the old one and I did experience a bit of numbness on my 2 hour ride today.  The narrower slot is  compounded by the fact that the saddle is very padded, which although it may seem like a good idea, is actually counterproductive.  The softness allows the saddle to collpase under weight thereby closing up the gap even more.  Since I can't find it locally I bought it off of e-bay and the soft padding was an unexpected disappointment.  I'm gonna give it some time and try to get the position dialed in and then decide.  Of course the more expensive carbon fiber models have little to no padding so I may need your help with Roo one more time.

It is a decidedly  cool looking saddle which is of course as important as anything eh?  Note how the nose is curled way down, once again in an effort to leave the crown jewels feeling unencumbered.

"So about my penance father?"
"Well son. How about 3 Hail Marys, 2 Our Fathers, and 1 Bend over the Communion Rail"
"Up Yours Father. See you in 40 years!"

(computrainer 2 hours, weights)

"Confession of errors is like a broom which sweeps away the dirt and leaves the surface brighter and clearer. I feel stronger for confession."---Mahatma Gandhi

'I'd stand in line for Confession with old people and little kids, and as the line moved up, I knew when I got into the box that I would lie! Again!'---Mercedes McCambridge

Love
Peter

"Post # 150"

Another 150 days of my life has gone by. If I live to be 80 years old that's just over 1/2 of 1 perecent of my life! Holy cow! Think about it. Just twice that much would be a full percent and it flew by without me barely noticing.

This morning when I got up I was feeling a little blue and not very motivated. At some point while driving the kids to school it occured to me that I had the power to decide what I would do with my day. I could waste it being grumpy or I could do otherwise. I was fairly succesful which just motivates me to do it again tomorrow.
(swim 1500 metres, run 7.4kms)

“One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure its worth watching."---Anon

Love
Peter

"Hurtin All Over"

Ever since my last road trip I have been fairly faithful with my workouts, typically doing 12 per week.  That includes 3 runs, 3 rides, 4 swims and 2 weight sessions.  Yes I've skipped the odd one but generally I've been steady, barely taking a day off since that trip in mid december.  I think it's all going well but I do confess to many aches and pains.  My toughest workouts are now my tuesday hard bike ride and my saturday long run.  The bike ride is intended as a strength workout and is something different than I have ever done before.  What I do is ride the hilliest part of Ironman Canada while remaining in the aerobars the whole time.  You would never do this in a race, but the idea is to develop strength while in the aero position so that you have that strength for riding in the flats come race day.  It is a murderous workout but I think I will be able to remain faithful to it.  Believe it or not I got this training tip from an Australian guy while working in China!  My real opportunity for improved times is clearly on the bike, and the recipe is clearly increased strength.  I hope it pays off.  As to my long runs it is clear that they have been getting tougher as I step up the rest of my workouts, and as such I need to slow down a bit.  I have to remember that the long runs are about endurance and nothing else!  Slow down overall, and very gradually build the distance.  After all there is probably very little value in doing them faster than I would expect to be able to run on race day.  I'm not sure yet what I will do this coming Saturday but it will either be shorter, or slower than previous attempts, or maybe even both

And as I mentioned at the start, the intensity is definitely leaving me sore in many places.  I did skip my swim today because believe it or not even that adds to the kinks as I try to improve my technique. That combined with the fact that I was doing my weights at 9:30 pm yesterday.   I need a massage........ but I don't have time!

(computrainer, 1:30 mins)

"Two things scare me. The first is getting hurt. But that's not nearly as scary as the second, which is losing."---Lance Armstrong

Love
Peter

"Todays Hero"

American politician Ron Paul. While I don't agree with all of his politics he struck a chord with me today. His son, Rand Paul, also a politician, was refused passage through airport security in Nashville Tennessee today, because he refused to accept a pat down when one of their stupid machines started beeping for no good reason. Daddy's response, and I quote.

"One of the ultimate embodiments of this police state is the TSA that gropes our children, our seniors, and our loved ones and neighbours with disabilities. The TSA does all of this while doing nothing to keep us safe".

I have travelled through that same airport probably 25 times and I have found it to be one of the most courteous and respectful when it comes to dealing with travellers. Which just proves once again that it's not about the individuals within the organization it's the stupid effing institution itself!

Down with airport security I say! Just for today, the father and son Pauls are my heroes!

(7.3 km run, weights)
"I'd like to fly. Then I wouldn't have to wait in airport security lines."---Jim Morris
Love
Peter

"That Was Fun"

Great game and the visiting team won!

(swim 1250 metres, bike 60 mins)

"It's the game of life. Do I win or do I lose? One day they're gonna shut the game down. I gotta have as much fun and go around the board as many times as I can before it's my turn to leave."---Tupac Shakur

Love
Peter

"Discretion is The Better Part of Valour"

I don't know who said that but it was probably some guy that chickened out over something.  So be it!

Today I used my discretion and cut my run short at 22.75 kms.  I probably could have done the rest of the 30k but I got lots of excuses. 

1) I have been pushing my long runs a bit too much  and I needed a recovery week!
2) It snowed overnite which left just horrible traction conditions!
3) The sun was in my eyes!
4) It was freakin cold and my nose was froze!
5) My underwear were a bit tight!
6) My glasses fogged up!
7)  Roo said it was okay!
8)  It was saturday!
9)  I was still tired from Claudette's run yesterday!
10 I needed to get ready to go see the Leafs/Habs game tonite!  Woohoo!

(run 22.75 kms, 2:01:22)

“Perfect valor is to behave, without witnesses, as one would act were all the world watching."---François de la Rochefoucauld

Love
Peter

"I'm Really Tired"

Roo ran 30 kms and it has left me exhausted!
Tomorrow's my turn. 

Today was my wetsuit swim day. It was also a PA day which meant for a bunch of screamin kids at the pool. I have that as my excuse for a mediocre effort!

(swim 2000 metres, 38 mins)

"I'm exhausted trying to stay healthy."---Steve Yzerman

Love
Peter

"Every Twenty-Five Years"

Every 25 years or so a guy deserves a special day don't you think? Well not to imply that I haven't had many special days in between but I did indeed have a very special one 25 years ago today, so I decided to celebrate it by having another one today.

And I want to tell you about it, but first I need to remind you that jealousy is a very shallow sentiment. Of course I'm not innocent of that either, but it's just a forewarning. Once I tell you about my day you may be just a little bit envious. Here Goes!

Up at 7 am for a breakfast of 2 bagelfuls, a banana and a delicious vanilla biscotti coffee.

Drove the kids to school at 9 am.

Then a couple of hours on the trainer.



Then I dropped Roo at her volunteer work.



Then to my favorite fast food joint for a quick bite!



Then to the bike shop for a quick snoop around.



Then to the triathlon for a quick snoop around!



Then to the other bike shop for a quick snoop around!



Then to the running store for a new pair of mittens for Roo. She complains that her hands feel cold and I can't tolerate a wife with cold hands!! They also just happened to have a pair of shoes in my size!



Then a quick visit to my friend Robert who confirmed that I can live for at least 5 more years on Roo's money! Of course a quick visit with Robert is very difficult for me since we spend most of our time talking about marathons and triathlons and such!  The simple fact that he can run 42.2 kms makes him trustworhty!



Then I went and found the reason for my fantastic day twenty-five years ago!



And we all went to my favorite buffet restaurant to celebrate his birthday.




Where the most incredible, magical thing happened. The Chinese server sang Happy Birthday followed by an amazing rendition, in perfect Dutch, of Lang Sal Ze Leven (long shall you live)!!! I thought he was joking when he said he would sing in dutch for Mike, especially since I have no idea how he even knew of our heritage. The only thing I can imagine is that he seen our name on the reservation. I was totally and completely floored!

And the best part of the whole evening? Roo paid!!



I was supposed to come hone and do my weights, but I thought why ruin an otherwise perfect day!

(computrainer 2 hours)

"Lang zal ze leven
Lang zal ze leven
Lang zal ze leven in de gloria
In de gloria, in de gloria"---It was indeed magical!  Mom/Dad,  were you listening?

Love
Peter

"My Top Ten Ironman Challenges"

#10 Sleeping. It's crazy but the more tired I am the poorer the quailtiy of my sleep. If I stay asleep for too long to start the night out, then my mouth gets so sore that I'm then screwed for the rest of the night,,,,weird eh?

#9 Scheduling. While I am imensely grateful to my employer there still remains the need to do some work, and it often needs co-ordinated with other peoples schedules as well.

#8 Swimming. I just wish I had a little more athletic ability. Unlike the other 2 sports hard work simply does not pay off.

#7 Injury. It seems like I am always on the edge of an achilles problem, or a knee problem, or maybe just an old age problem?

#6 Weather. While I have professed many times to love our seasons I will never learn to love the wind...summer or winter.

#5 Patience. Somehow I think I would almost be better off if the race was closer. I know however that I can make good use of the time if I could simply take it slower .

#4 Stretching. I hate it with a passion and it definitely contributes to my injury susceptability.

#3 Strength training. For many people this is the foundation of their exercise regime but for me it's just a pain.

#2 Drills. Whether swimming, cycling or running drills are a key element of improved efficiency. I do then very rarely.

....and the number one challenge that I face in my training, and in life....can you guess? Yup!

#1 Eating. I still love to eat despite the changes in my sense of taste, and my lack of saliva. My lack of discipline when it comes to fatty, greasy foods is my biggest vice!

(swim 1200 metres, run 7.3kms)

“We must look for the opportunity in every difficulty instead of being paralyzed at the thought of the difficulty in every opportunity."---Anon

"Life is a song - sing it. Life is a game - play it. Life is a challenge - meet it. Life is a dream - realize it. Life is a sacrifice - offer it. Life is love - enjoy it."---Sai baba

Love
Peter

"Special Moments"

The best moments in life are often those when you witness someone other than yourself doing or saying something that you're glad you didn't.  Today I had such a moment.

I had gone to Canadian Tire to get Kylie's skates sharpened.  When I took them to the teller to pay she said to me, "and does the person who these belong to put them on herself?".  I said "no. most kids don't to that til there about 10 or 12.  Well she proceeeded to give me a lecture about how kids need to do this stuff for themselves, and that in the case of her daughter she had insisted she carry her own equipment, and put it on by herself including tying up her own skates.  She expressed this all in a very superior manner and quite frankly I was a little taken aback.  In my mind I said, well either you're full of shit lady, and/or you have done your kid a big diservice by letting her learn to skate without the skates being properly laced!!  But being the mature guy I am I let her finish and then calmly responded that I didn't think there were too many 5 year old girls who had the strength to tie their skates properly, and that at least in the case of my granddaughter she still needed help. She just harumphed.

But that wasn't the special moment.  That didn't come for at least a full minute because she was busy squeezing, and twisting, and turning, trying to get the anti-theft device off of Ky's skates that the sharpening guy had put on.  I just quietly watched her struggle and grumble without interrupting before with just a hint of a smile, and not the least bit of sarcasm I said, "and I think my granddaugter would have trouble getting that thing off without any help either.  She did not make further eye contact with me, and as the line at her till started to gorw she sheepishly called over to the lady at the courtesy counter for help.  I left it at that.

And you know what?  I truly don't think it was a special moment for me because someone else was getting a comeuppance, but rather  just because for once it wasn't me who was trying to backpedal after opening his big mouth too quickly.  Life is good!

By the way, the kids on Colbs hockey team are all 8 or 9 years old and there is not one of them that ties his own skates....guaranteed! 

(computrainer 1:30)

"The golden moments in the stream of life rush past us, and we see nothing but sand; the angels come to visit us, and we only know them when they are gone."---George Eliot...(who, in case you care, was a woman named Mary Anne Evans)

Love

Peter

"One of The Old Boys?"

The local YMCA where I go to swim has a large percentage of seniors as members, and they are most often there during the day. I suppose there are very few kids there at that time and that's what makes it attractive. For many of the old boys who frequent the place it is as much a social activity as it is a workout. It is not uncommon for a half dozen of them to be sitting around the change room in their birthday suits telling lies and teasing each other. I happily join in the conversation although I don't hang around as long as them since I have other things to do. After all I'm not at the same stage of my life as all those old goats.

Today one of the boys was trying to figure out how to use the balance scale and one of the other wise guys snuck up behind him and put his foot on the back of the scale. This went on for some time with the rest of the gang snickering away in the background while the guy on the scale grumbled about how the thing never worked right. I jumped all over that and offered to try it myself. I knew almost exactly what the thing would say so I set it to 77.5 kilos before I even got on and sure enough it barely wavered. I suggested he try again and so he got back on, and much to everyones delight he said I must have fixed it somehow. He weighed 91 kilograms. While everyone else was congratulating themselves on what I great trick they had played I suddenly had this horrible sinking feeling!! My God!! I had become one of the old boys!!??

It was not a great day for this realization as my mood was already kind of low and I was feeling listless and tired. However, as I turned back to my to my locker and prepared to get out of there I heard the gang chattering about where the chart had gone. It took me just a few seconds to realize that they were talking about the metric conversion chart that usually hung on the wall, and in that same few seconds I knew I was saved. I realized that I was the only guy in the room that knew without a chart what 91 kilos was in real numbers. It was with a sense of elation on my part, and a sense of awe on the part of the room, that I calmly told the old geezer that he weighed just over 200 pounds. I was young again!

(swim 1000 metres, weights)

"I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened"---Mark Twain

"I am not young enough to know everything."---Oscar Wilde

Love
Peter

"A Little Nervous"

All of a sudden I'm having flashkbacks to 2009.  I checked some of my old posts of January of that year and confirmed what I remembered.  I was having problems with my left knee and my right achilles.....just like today! I need to watch the running.  Certainly cold weather can be very hard on the joints and the connective tissue.  I think I should have worn 2 layers on my legs yesterday.

I will try to be careful again this week making sure I get decent swims in and do my weights, but just let the running lag a little.  Better safe than sorry.

(easy swim, easy ride)

"Be careful what you pretend to be because you are what you pretend to be."---Kurt Vonnegut

Love
Peter

"That Was Tough"

Did I claim just recently that I love all of Ontario's seasons and the accompanying weather extremes??  That was much easier to say when it was the first of January and seven degrees!  Much to my chagrin winter has arrived, and while I like building snowmen, plowing the driveway, and even a run of 8-10 kms, long runs can be pretty tough.  The difficulties are many.  Wind direction has you either sweating or freezing.  Water bottles tend to freeze up and your glasses fog up! Drivers are often totally shocked to see you, unlike in warmer weather.  Your nose and your fingers freeze, but on the good side rarely your feet or your balls!

But it is what it is, and I choose to do it so I want to make it clear that this is not a bitch session.  I know what I have to do and I will do it.  There are many, many experts out there, usually trying to sell you something, that disclaim the old "no pain, no gain" adage.  I for one think it needs to be embraced.  It is the only way you will get better at most anything, and embracing the idea rather than denying it makes the pain a little easier to bear.  And besides, I think there is an emotional factor at play as well.  When you suffer a little to achieve something, the resulting feelings of success are that much sweeter.

Anyway, it was indeed another tough run but unlike last weeks it was in control.  I ran a bit slower overall but my 5 km splits were almost identical and in actual fact the last one was the fastest.   I also did some looking back to the same period in 2009 and I can tell you that over this distance back then I was running about 5 mins slower.  I wish to be faster yet , but for now, and considering the weather I'm pretty content.  The most important factor about todays 'controlled' run was that I'm pretty sure I'll be ready to go again tomorrow.

(run 30 kms, 2:38:44)

“When you are tough on yourself, life is going to be infinitely easier on you"---Zig Ziglar

“We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons."---Jim Rohn

Love
Peter

"Feeling Rested"

I've had a pretty easy week and I can tell the difference in my body.  After last Sundays 30 km disaster I knew I had to do some things a little differently but due to various circumstances the week was even softer than I planned.  I totally missed one weight workout and also a long bike session.  I left my watch in my pocket for most of the week as well, or at least decided it was not going to rule me. Friday is my long swim day and it felt good to be in the pool today without aching muscles.  Friday also qualifies as my rest day since swimming is simply not near as demanding in any regard.

Speaking of swimming I am starting to feel more optimistic again.  It feels like my stroke is getting more consistent and relaxed.  What I am calling my long swim is still only 2 kms but it seems to be getting easier.  I did that in 36:26 today, compared to 37:15 last week, and 38:00 the previous week.  Of course I know that being rested was a factor but it still felt good.  I was able to focus without getting stressed, and the 80 lengths actually went by quite quickly.  I don't plan on increasing this distance for some time.  I want to continue to focus on getting faster first, because faster will indicate stroke improvement.  Once I can do the 2 kms without thinking, and without any real exertion I will start extending the distance. For today at least the swim feels good.

Part of the whole Ironman fun is the opportunity to play with your gear and maybe even to get a few new things.  I recently purchased a waterproof bike case for my i-phone and I just finished building a nice bracket to hold it on my aerobars.  I also got a great deal on a new race suit that Roo bought for me on e-bay, and it arrived today.  Woohoo!  On top of that I have a new pair of race shoes, and a new wetsuit on order, both of which I will either like or send back.  I am expanding  my blue/black/white colour theme to include yellow this year so you will be better able to see me from a distance.  I may not be any faster than last time but I will look as good as money can make me!  Yah yah I know!  It may take a few bucks!!

So speaking of making adjustments and feeling rested, I now need to have a decent long run tomorrow to truly feel better.  The problem is that winter seems to have arrived.  The weather man is indicating continuing snow showers through the night and morning, which will probably mean shitty footing.  Just about any winter condition is tolerable except for that.  In this case it is crtical that I not think about time and simply get the distance in without crapping out.   I fully intend on heading out for 30 kms but I will stay close to home in the event that is is simply not manageable.  Wish me luck!

(swim 2000 metres, 36:26)

"Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.  What is without periods of rest will not endure."---Ovid

Love
Peter

"Surprise!"

She was supposed to be a boy!  Amazing how things work out.  Happy 6th brithday Princess Ky!



Worked all freakin day!  Then I had a choice of the birthday dinner or  a workout.  Some things really  aren't a decision.  I love you Kylie!

“Your birthday is a special time to celebrate the gift of 'you' to the world."---Anon

Love
Peter

What's New?"

Dick all!

(11 km run, 57 mins)

“What you need to know about the past is that no matter what has happened, it has all worked together to bring you to this very moment. And this is the moment you can choose to make everything new. Right now.---Anon

Love
Peter

"Two Virgins And Me"

Or is that two virgins and I?  Either way it sounds like a helluva good time.  What's really amazing is that my wife said. "Go and have a good time, you deserve it!"  And furthermore she said I could use her RV!

Yup!  It's all scheduled.  Saturday, June 23rd my brother John (Old John), and my brother from a different mother (Grampa Kyle), will literally take the plunge and enter the amazingly stupid world of amateur triathlon.  The three of us are signed up for a little race in Welland Ontario.  Little being 750m swim, 30 km bike, and 7.5 km run.  And although in the big scheme of things it isn't that long a race I am indeed impressed by both of them.  It is a pretty decent challenge for a virgin!  Way longer than the first one I did.

I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am.  I am like a kid at Christmas time.  It's more than 5 months away and I'm already counting the sleeps.  The race format itself is really cool and something I have never done before.  It is a time trial start where-in one person leaves ever 5 seconds in order of age.  That of course means that I will be chasing the 2 virgins around the course.  I will of course try to catch them but I have to be very careful because I am doing the Half Ironman at the same site the next day. 

In case you want to sign up as well, or if you just want to come and cheer us on, here is a link to the event.

Life is good!

(swim 1000 metres, computrainer 1:20)

"Where does virgin wool come from? The sheep that runs the fastest?"---Harry F. Banks

"You talk about virgin territory – the most virgin territory there is, is the future. You can do anything you want with it"---L. Ron Hubbard

Love
Peter

"A Blank White Page"

And no thoughts to fill it with.

One thing does occur to me.  A small challenge for you inspired by Roo's ideas of positive energy.  If each of us were to make the effort tomorrow to reach out to someone to whom we would not normally do so, and add just one positive remark to their day would it not change the world a little for the better?  I challenge you.!

(7.3km run)

“A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort."---Herm Albright

"The energy of the mind is the essence of life."---Aristotle

Love
Peter

"A Quiet Day"

I hope all is well with your world on this the 8th day of January.  Things keep humming along in the Rooyakkers household.  Our lives are full, and fulfilling for the most part, and despite my occassional whining I generally look forward to the days as they come. Our grandchildren continue to be a source of pride and inspiration, and our children are all reasonably healthy.  I still try to do a little work for my employer, and will continue to do so if they want me.   Back at it tomorrow after a couple weeks off.  My training is in a pretty good place overall and I am looking forward to competing in at least 5 different events before my Ironman, maybe even 6. I will tell you more about my plans as they crystallize.

Of course we are battling with Sally's situation but even that is adding value to my life.  Witnessing her personal courage as she faces death, and eavesdropping on the once in lifetime friendship between her and Claudette alternately bring tears and joy to my world.  I am so damn proud of both of them!!   I don't have the words so I will give you theirs.  They have adpoted 3 little words as their mantra, and I think it's pretty cool.....be not afraid....be not afraid!    More about Roo and Sally (Thelma and Louise) as well in the weeks to come.

Even though I know he doesn't read this blog I need to centre out a special person in my life today.  Jonathan called me this afternoon just to see how I was doing with my life in general and with parenting in particular.  We talked for 22 minutes which is a very long time on the phone for both of us and by the end of the conversation it really hit me how far he has travelled the last few years.  From a dispirited, broken down, unpleasant, and vulgar drug addict to a stable, employed, mature young  man in a permanent relationship with a beautiful woman.  He loves his job, he loves his girl, he loves his parents and his siblings, and he treats them all with respect and kindness. The reason for his call today?  He worries about me and  he just wanted to see if there was anything he could do for me!!  Of course he also asked about Sally

And that's where I'm at on Sunday, Jan 8/2012. Peace be with you my friends and family.

(swim 1200 metres, computrainer easy 30 mins)

"There is always music amongst the trees in the garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it."---Minnie Aumonier

"Only in quiet waters do things mirror themselves undistorted. Only in a quiet mind is adequate perception of the world."---Hans Margolius

Love
Peter

"Demise of a Snowman"

...or...

"Running Against The Wind"

What a lovely day



But man this wind is viscious!



Oh No!  My head blew off!

 

Meltinnnnng!  Meltinnnnng!

There is nothing worse than running against a strong wind when you're already completely bagged.  I had another very tough run today and the last couple of kilometres was directly into the wind.  I have no idea, how, or why I kept  moving other than out of a sense of self preservation.. If I stopped I may have died.

I have to rethink my scheduling a bit.  I have been doing tough bike workouts on thursday along with my weights, and then an easy day friday with swimming only.  It seems however that that my legs are not sufficiently recovered from the thursday bike and weights to be able to complete my saturday long run without a great deal of hurt....and I mean a great deal!  Either that or I'm just out of shape!

I feel like the snowman!

(run 30 kms, 2:37:21)

To reach a port we must sail, sometimes with the wind, and sometimes against it. But we must not drift or lie at anchor."---Oliver Wendell Holmes

Love
Peter

"Sorry, But Here I Go Again!"

I have been very agitated the last couple of days over the latest bit of Holy Roman Catholic insanity I accidentally came across.  I had intended a major rant about it  but reconsidered and will try to keep it reasonable.  Roo is on an intitiative to reduce the amount of negative energy in her domain (something Oprah learned from a skinhead I think) and for her I will keep it brief.  I cannot however promise not to come back to it. I get incensed all over again just thinking about it. 

The bit of insanity I stumbled across is an organization called Courage, a Catholic initiative to help those who "suffer" from same sex attraction....help them learn how to lead a life of celibacy.  They actually have a twelve step program like the drunks and the addicts, something else I know a little about!  Are you kidding me?? 

The stated goal of the intiitative is to get the queers to stop touching each other, but as you read their website offerings you will find it is much deeper than that.  The real thing they are advocating is that you actually stop thinking about touching each other.  The most remarkable bit of wisdom I came across in one of their essays was the suggestion that when you start thinking bad thoughts you should repeatedly say the name of Jesus to drive those thoughts out of your mind.  I couldn't figure out how that was gonna work since I have always thought that Jesus was a pretty good looking guy.  Gay or straight, it may have the opposite intended affect!

For anyone who  may suggest that I'm biased because I have many gay people in my life,(a brother and a son, as well  as dear friends), I categorically deny it.  For my entire life I have believed that you should love who you choose to love, and screw who you choose to screw, and that as long as it is between consensual adults it is nobodys fucking (pun intended) business but your own!!  Screw the dog for all I care!

But you know what?  If you think I'm an idiot that's okay with me!  If you think being gay is a choice that dumb people make that's okay!  If you think same sex intimacy is wrong that's okay.  If you believe that homosexuality can be cured that's okay.  If you are against laws that allow same sex unions, or same sex marriage, and all the accompanying social benefits that's okay.  If you are intimidated by homosexuality that's also okay.

But you know what's not okay, at least with me? What is not okay with me is an organization that has for my entire life, repeatedly and consistently protected hundreds and even thousands of sexual predators, most of them homosexual, and out of the other side of their hypocritical mouths try to tell the rest of us that Fred and I should not rub each others dicks in the privacy of our own home, and that furthermore we are going to go to hell for doing it, maybe even for just thinking about doing it.  It makes me ill!

This paragraph initially started with an apology in case I offended anyone, but I back spaced out of it  I know I have not lived the life of a saint myself and as such how can I be so critical?  I defend myself and the lack of an apology by saying that my disgust is not for individuals, and/or even for their acts, or indeed I would also be a hypocrite.  My disgust is for the institution.  An institution that does more harm than it does good!!  Sorry Dad but I think the evidence is irrefutable!

Oh by the way.  Do you know the number one reason that most catholic priests chose to be catholic priests in the first place?  It's because they're gay!  Ask God.  He knows, and he's the popes boss

Here for your reading pleasure is  a link to "Courage".  Enjoy!

(swim 2000 metres, 37:15)

"Catholic theology believes that God gave man free will, and you can't give somebody free will and then send in a play from the sidelines."---Roger Ebert

"I was raised Catholic until I was old enough to say no."---John Cusack
“The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice, it is conformity.”---Rollo May

Love
Peter

"There's no Business Like Snow Business"

And one of the most important aspects of snow business is snowmen!

First there was Rollie the Goalie (Roland Melanson).  Then along came Olie the Goalie (Olaf Kolzig).  But clearly the greatest of them all was our guy....



Sno-lie the Goalie!!  Note the puck he caught woith his teeth.  A true Canadian!

Here he is in his street clothes after the game.



And here's his little brother who lost both of his natural eye's in a street hockey game, and so they had to be replaced with spare plumbing parts!



All in all a damn fine January afternoon.   We also had a snowball fight which I won again this year!  They really love that, since they're not allowed to do it at school!

(computrainer 1hr 25 mins, weights)

"The Eskimos had fifty-two names for snow because it was important to them: there ought to be as many for love."---Margaret Atwood

Love
Peter

"It's 10:39 PM"

And thus past my bedtime.  I usually go about an hour before Colby!  Of course he doesn't work out as hard as me.

(swim 1500 metres, run 7.3 kms)
"The hardest people to convince they are at retirement age are children at bedtime"---Shannon Fife

Love
Peter

"Ya Gotta Believe!"

Over the course of both of my Ironman ramblings I have often used the training and racing as a metaphor for life, and/or aspects thereof. I can't think of one concept that adapts more easily than the idea of faith. Every day I work out tired, doing the things I have either learned from the experts or figured out myself, and every day I wonder if it's working. The problem is that at this point of the whole exercise you don't really get any kind of true test as to whether you are making progress. You can of course use your training results as some kind of barometer but it is very dangerous. The risks are twofold. First, that you will start "racing" your training workouts which leads to lousy workouts because you had to shorten them, or because you overdid it and got hurt. The second is a loss of faith. Then when you get dispirited the tempetation is to take days off so that you can then have that extra special workout after a rest. The great workout that will prove yourself to your self, and help you to regain your faith! Which is all very fine and dandy except for the fact that you rested needlessly and in essence wasted training time. If you're not tired you are doing something wrong.

The answer? For my training and my life? Just believe! I'm pretty confident that I am doing most things right, and that I normally adjust appropriately in response to my bodys signals, or in the case of my life, the signals of my heart and my mind. Oh wait. My training is my life!

That's why I'm gonna consider my 2 hours and 19 minutes on the computrainer today a success instead of the poor effort it seems based on past experience. I am doing weights fairly regularly now which definitely affects the other workouts, and I am generally doing 2 workouts most every day. That's gotta be tiring eh? I will continue to plug along and perhaps rest for a few days before Around the Bay at the end of March, and use that as a bit of a fitness test. If I can keep up with Roo I will designate myself fit. And I ain't kidding. Most of her workouts are faster than mine now! Of course, I'm her coach so that would explain that!

Meanwhile. "Ya Gotta Believe"!

(computrainer, 60 kms, 2:19)

"I believe that a simple and unassuming manner of life is best for everyone, best both for the body and the mind."---Einstein

"I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act."---Buddha

"To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest."---Gandhi

...hmmm...Einstein, Buddha and Gandhi. I wish I was known by just one name.

Love
"Peter"

"Almost Forgot to Blog"

Hey John, you'll be delighted to know that Old Roo said I was just feeling sorry for myself. She may indeed be right, and as such I thought it fitting that as the sum total of my post today, I give you this sublime quote.

(swim 1200 metres, run 7kms, weights)

"Don't call the world dirty because you forgot to clean your glasses.".---Aaron Hill

Love
Peter

"Eat, Sleep, Train, Worry"

That's my plan for 2012! Whadda ya think?

Well maybe it's not the plan for the whole year but it sure seems to be the way I started it out. At least the eating, sleeping, and worrying part! You can't doo too much training! Well I guess you can but I'm a long ways away yet.

I feel angry with the world on this first day of a new year. I don't think the world deserves my anger but it's either that or be pissed at myself. That of course is where the anger, or at least the frustration properly belongs. I'm tired of paying for the mistakes I've made and I want to be absolved of my quilt. If I thought it would work I would go down to the local catholic church and sit in the little dark booth and maybe say a few hail marys or something. Unfortunately I know the only one who can forgive me is me, and I ain't the forgiving type. What a quandary eh?

I'm also really effin tired of being a parent. I don't regret having any of them but why did someone not forewarn me that it was a lifelong commitment. Everything else in life comes and goes but once you have kids you're on the hook for ever. It can just sap the life out of a person, or at least that's what it seems to do to me. I think that if I belived that all of my kids were at peace then I could handle just about anything else without whining. Unfortunately when any one of them is struggling I feel like I am carrying the world on my shoulders. What's that guys name that always had to roll the stone up hill? Oh yah. Sisyphus. When I checked up on the myth I realized how appropriste the reference is for me. He had to roll the stone up hill only to have it roll back down as soon as he got it there, and his punishment was designed specifically because of his "hubristic" belief that he was cleverer than everyone else. That would be me!

I expect a lecture from Old John of course and I welcome it fom him or anyone else as long as it also comes with practical advice. Just plain lecturing I can do myself.

On a lighter note, Santa brought Colby the most amazing toy I have ever seen this past Xmas. It is something called Lego Technics and it is a combination of conventional lego and a whole series of electric motors, gears and other drive train elements. Since Santa bought the toy online from Toys R Us, he was given an opportunity to post a review which if approved would then appear on the site for other potential buyers to consider. Because I was so impressed with this thing and Colby really seemed to enjoy building it I decided that for once in my life I was going to respond to such a request. The link they provided took me to this statement.

"When a product review is submitted on this website, you grant Toys R Us and it's afilliates a nonexclusive, royalty free, perpetual, irrevocable, and fully sublicensable right to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, and display content throughout the world in any media"

Fuck off you idiots!  Needless to say I did not post a review!!

(swim 1000 metres, bike 30 kms)

"Where there is anger, there is always pain underneath."---Eckhart Tolle

“The simplest toy, one which even the youngest child can operate, is called a grandparent.”---Sam Levinson

Love
Peter